Valiant Fight Falls Short in NCAA Tourney

Friday, March 20

Philadelphia, PA / Xfinity Mobile Arena

1:50 PM

Wright State University

23-12,15-5Horizon

Virginia

30-5,15-3ACC

Wright St.

Virginia

Photo by: Joseph Craven

3/20/2026 7:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The No. 14-seeded Wright State men's basketball team roared to a 43-38 halftime lead and were up by three with five minutes to play before third-seeded Virginia prevailed in the closing moments to hand the Raiders an 82-73 defeat on Friday in Philadelphia as part of first-round action at the 2026 NCAA Championship.

Wright State finishes the season at 23-12 and won the Horizon League regular season outright and the tournament title for the first time in program history. TJ Burch was named both the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, while Kellen Pickett was named the HL's Freshman of the Year, and head coach Clint Sargent selected as the League's Coach of the Year.

On Friday, Wright State saw Solomon Callaghan pour in 16 first-half points, and Michael Imariagbe had 11 of his own in the opening 20 minutes as the Raiders scored the final seven points of the half to take the 43-38 lead into the break.

Virginia (30-5) came out of the locker room with five quick points, and the second half was on. The remainder of the afternoon was back-and-forth, with the Raiders taking a three-point lead at 70-67 off a pair of Callaghan free throws with 5:32 to play. Virginia responded and took a three-point lead of its own into the final media timeout, coming out of the timeout with five quick points and what proved to be the final separation.

Imariagbe finished with 19 points to lead the Raiders, connecting on five three-pointers after entering the game 1-of-6 from deep on the season. He also snagged 10 rebounds to record a double-double in his final collegiate game. The Raiders' trademark balance continued with three additional Raiders joining Imariagbe in double figures as Callaghan, Burch, and Cooper finished with 18, 15, and 13 points, respectively.